


It's what everyone deserves

by ChestnutBrumby



Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers - Alternate Universe, The Avengers - Ambiguous Fandom
Genre: AU, F/M, Like literal fluffiness, No actual Avengers, Saving the world a different way, consider yourselves warned, crazy fluffy, scarlet vision - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-01
Updated: 2016-09-25
Packaged: 2018-08-12 09:58:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 15,390
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7930348
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ChestnutBrumby/pseuds/ChestnutBrumby
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Vision, a computer programmer holed up in Colorado obsessed with his job, discovers a box full of abandoned puppies while driving home one day. He calls a local shelter for help, but there's a storm setting in and it might just take a miracle for said help to arrive...</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Vision blinked at the unexpected beam of light that fell upon his face. When had the sun risen? Clearly, he'd worked through the night again. With a sigh, he typed a few last lines of code then saved his program. He retreated to the shower, standing with his head bowed, letting the water run steaming against the back of his neck and over his shoulders.  
  
Several days worth of clothes seemed to have accumulated around the house and he proceeded to spend the next two hours meticulously tidying everything clean into their intended spots, running what wasn't clean through the machine and pegging said washing up on the lines strung from the east side of his house to posts he'd hammered into the ground fifteen feet away. He'd purchased hummingbird feeders for the tops to make them blend a little better with the woods that intruded into his yard, and realized with a guilty flash he hadn't brought food for them in a while. The air tasted crisp and cool as he inhaled - most of them had probably migrated by now to the warmer states. He surveyed his lines and washing, then the clouds above, dark and low and threatening snow later in the day. Annoyed he'd missed that detail beforehand, he threw up his hands and left his washing where it was. Maybe it would dry enough before the snow arrived.     
  
He traipsed back into the kitchen on autopilot and reached for the cupboard he kept breakfast things - cereals and protein bars, morning meals that required little to no preparation. He grabbed the only remaining box, and frowned when he hefted it with no effort. Empty.  
  
The refrigerator was no less helpful and yielded a carton of milk - unopened - three days past its expiry. Vision carried it out to the garbage then climbed into his battered pickup to drive into town. Looked like a shopping trip was in order.  
  
He was bemused to find the supermarket closed until he realized it was a public holiday - Columbus day if he wasn't mistaken. Though he'd been living in America for some years, he still hadn't quite grasped all of the public holidays. He set off for the corner store on the other side of town, where he stocked up on staples and smiled politely but vaguely when the cashier engaged him in small talk, his mind already back at his computer, ticking over the new program he was working on.  
  
He drove home the long way around, skirting the town, his pickup bouncing over the rough potholes and kicking up dirt, but something odd caught his eye and he slowed, then pulled the truck over to the side of the road.  
  
There was a cardboard box. Vision strode over, unsure why is heart was beating so fast. Surely nobody would... it was October in mountainous Colorado. The temperature hadn't been above 20 degrees in a week, and that was at midday if they were lucky. This morning's temperature had dropped dramatically already, and he could now smell the snow he'd suspected was on the way earlier.     
  
He dropped to his knees and reached a hand towards the box with a feeling of dread. Inside nestled four pathetic bundles of fur, paws tucked over one another in a last-ditch attempt to share warmth with siblings. Vision felt his own heart chill. He dropped his fingertips to the bundles and flinched at the cold stillness.  
  
Puppies. Somebody had dumped a box of puppies on the side of a road that saw maybe three cars a day. Vision felt a terrible outpouring of sympathy for these poor lifeless creatures. One could have fit in the palm of his hand - they had no reserves to deal with the cold, their eyes not yet having opened.  
  
He didn't understand people, which was probably the reason he spent his days holed up in his house at the edge of the woods, writing computer programs that could be easily quantified. How anybody could leave these tiny little lives here to freeze to death was beyond his comprehension, so far beyond it he couldn't even summon anger in the face of such a waste of life.  
  
He just _didn't understand._  
  
It seemed inherently wrong to leave a box of dead puppies sitting by the side of the road and so Vision gathered the box up, holding it carefully to his chest as he loaded it into the passenger seat. The poor pups had obviously had a difficult time of their short lives. He would bury them, let them be at peace, and plant a tree or a nice flower patch come spring. The thought did little to remove his restless upset as he drove towards home.  
  
He set the box ever so gently in the hallway, it seeming wrong to leave them out in the cold while he dug a grave - it was going to take him an hour or so at least with the ground already hardening in anticipation of the first snow. Glancing at the cloudy sky, he hastily lit a fire in his living room before he donned a sweater, then a jacket, and stepped outside. He retrieved a shovel from his woodshed and battled a respectable sized grave site for the abandoned puppies in his back yard. It overlooked the grassy strip before the woods where rabbits and deer grazed in warmer months. Peaceful and quiet... which summed up his life in a nutshell.  
  
The temperature was dropping even further and Vision paused to bring in a few armfuls of logs from the shed, knowing that the first snowfall of the season often brought power failure in its wake. Once he'd stockpiled enough, he reached for the box and tenderly drew it towards him.  
  
Inside, there was the faintest whimper. Vision froze for at least a full minute, sure he'd imagined it. His hands started shaking.  
  
He opened the box, and one of the puppies blindly lifted its head towards the motion, its tiny paws kicking feebly. Shock at finding a formerly frozen puppy clearly alive and at the horrified realization of what he'd been on the verge of doing, Vision snapped into action and reached his trembling hands to the puppy.  
  
It was a shade warmer than the freezing temperature of the first time he'd touched them, but still cold enough that Vision drew in a shocked breath. Somehow, he scooped it up and drew close enough to the fire that the nearly invisible blonde hairs on his arm curled up in protest, and he snatched his arms back in a panic. First nearly frozen to death, now at risk of bring burned - this little animal couldn't catch a break. Finally, Vision recalled some long-ago read snippet about mothers warming their babies with their own body heat. Without thinking he lifted his sweater and tucked the puppy against his chest. He could feel the difference almost at once, the tiny twitches against his bare skin that meant the puppy was still alive defrosting his own heart.  
  
When the second whimper came from the box he was so startled he cursed aloud. How many mistakes could he make in one day?! If _one_ had survived...  
  
They were _all_ alive. Vision stared down at the three weakly moving pups for a few dull seconds before reacting, quickly inserting the other survivors in next to their sibling. He shifted back to the fire, arms clutched around the puppies curled into his chest.  
  
The thought that he might loose them now filled with terror. He stretched to reach his phone and frantically tried to think of who to call. Would the police laugh at him? Yes, probably - the vet! He'd seen the vet's land rover driving around town before! His fingers felt clumsy typing, for the first time in thirty years.  
  
The woman that answered the phone on the eighth ring had a warm, motherly voice. "The vet? I'm afraid he and his assistant have gone to tend to a mare in foal. I'm not expecting him back for another few hours. Is your problem urgent?"  
  
"I believe so." Vision felt a tiny paw resting against the collarbone and his stress levels shot through the roof, out the chimney and somewhere into the stratosphere. "You see, I've found this box of puppies, and I thought they were already gone, so I brought them home, I was going to bury them, I thought they deserved that much, I honestly didn't even think that they could live with how cold they were, except now they're all in my sweater and they're very much alive and they're so tiny-"  
  
"Woah." The voice on the other end of the phone spoke firmly. "That's quite the adventure for the poor little mites. I think I can help you... I have the number of somebody who'll help."  
  
Vision wrote down the number the vet's wife gave him, thanked her, and quickly keyed it into his phone, trying to take deep, steadying breathes.  
  
"Second Chance Animal Rescue Facility." The smooth, quiet voice who answered the call somehow tapped down his panic. He wasn't sure weather it was something to do with her pleasant European accent or just the soothing certainly in her tone, but for some reason his entire body relaxed just hearing those few brief words.  
  
"Oh, I apologize for disturbing you on a public holiday, it's only - the vet's wife gave me this number, I've just found a box of puppies on the side of the road. They're freezing, but they're alive, only they're so small and I've never had a dog before, and I've no idea what to do to help them." He couldn't prevent the note of hopelessness that rang through those last words.  
  
There was a beat, then her reassuring voice filled his ears again. "Okay. You've done great so far, so well done. Where are they at the moment?"  
  
"Down my shirt. I couldn't think of any other way to warm them. I have the fire going, I'm sitting in front of it with them."  
  
"You did exactly the right thing." Soothed the voice, hearing the anxiety in his tone. "Now, are their eyes open?"  
  
He shook his head, silently cursed his foolishness, and replied aloud in the negative. A muffled curse in a language he didn't recognize threw him, but when the woman spoke she was collected again. "Could you estimate their size and weight?"  
  
Vision grasped helplessly at straws. "I think the box of cornflakes I just purchased weighed more. I can hold one in my hand." He patted at the highest of the puppies through his sweater, his hand protectively forming a cradle over the shape he felt.  
  
"Okay, if they pull through they're going to need food. I've got some formula here, I'm going to bring it to you and we'll see what we can do about keeping these little guys alive. Where do you live?"  
  
He relayed his address and directions at how to locate his road in a voice that trembled with relief. The sure capability of this woman had already reassured him. He might be clueless about keeping abandoned puppies alive, but he was certain she wouldn't be.  
  
"Okay, I'm not too far away, that's about a twenty minute drive for me in this weather, I'll try to be there as soon as I can." He could hear clinks and rustles in the background, and could imagine her bustling through the shelter, phone wedged between her ear and shoulder. "Oh, I forgot - what is your name?"  
  
"Vision." He offered the long-standing nickname without thinking, but she didn't falter. "Vision, okay, I'm on my way."  
  
"I am sorry, the vet's wife did give me your name, but..."  
  
"Don't worry, you've had bigger things to worry about. It's Wanda - Wanda Maximoff."   


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wanda to the rescue!

Vision spent the next twenty minutes struggling not to pull each puppy from their nest under his sweater to check on them. He noticed the snow that had been threatening all day had begun to fall, spiraling past the windows with a rising frequency that only contributed to his concern. Wanda Maximoff was on the road right now, headed towards his house, and with her was the only chance the puppies had. But perhaps because he was already worrying about his four unexpected charges and a touch more wasn't so out of the way, he also found himself fretting over Wanda herself. The roads could get icy very rapidly, and he didn't relax until he heard the sound of tyres crunching against his gravel driveway.  
  
Only then did he exhale harshly in relief. She'd made it.  
  
He looked between his bundle and the door, finding it grossly rude after asking a complete stranger for help that he was unable to get up to answer the door, so scared he was of disturbing the orphan pups. "Miss Maximoff? Please come in." He called in answer to her knock. She opened the door, stepped inside, and set down a cardboard box on the side table. "Wanda, please." She replied, shaking her hair back.  
  
Vision stared at her in astonishment. Wanda Maximoff was, without a doubt, the most singularly beautiful woman he'd ever laid eyes on. A light layer of snowflakes had settled upon the loose waves of her rich brown hair, making him itch to brush them free. Curious green eyes and an exotic cast to her bone structure emphasized her tanned face, a small smile flickering over her full lips as those eyes settled on him. She shed a scarlet jacket, under which she was wearing high boots, black stockings and a dress that hugged her slender curves in a way that sent Vision's mind hurtling off in five different directions simultaneously.  
  
"Hey." She greeted, making her way to his side and putting him in severe danger of warping his mind. She knelt beside him, her scent washing over him. Clean snow, coconut - either her shampoo or perfume, he couldn't tell which - and sweet hay. A few strands of the latter clung to her dress, unnoticed. "How are they doing?"  
  
"I've been too afraid to check on them." Vision admitted. "They're moving more, though."  
  
"That's a good sign. Let's get them out one at time so we can check them." Her capable tone put him at ease, to an extent - he wasn't as worried about the puppies anymore, but he was considerably alarmed by his own hormones.  
  
He delved under his sweater to retrieve the first puppy. Wanda reached for it when he fumbled nervously with the precious baby, her fingers brushing the skin of his chest as she steadied his hands. He leaped so extensively he almost wound up in the fire. Wanda turned her concerned green eyes on him. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scratch you."  
  
She hadn't of course, but he felt too foolish saying so, and simply shook off her apology, guiding the puppy into her hands. It was most definitely alive, yawning and showing its tiny pink tongue, wiggling in Wanda's gentle grasp. "This one's a girl. She looks good." Wanda approved, getting up to retrieve her cardboard box. She pulled out a plug-in heat mat and Vision pointed to the nearest power point, and she placed the puppy on top, then a blanket over her. They repeated this procedure until Vision's sweater was empty, revealing the remaining pups were three boys.  
  
"They're all doing pretty well considering what they've been through, though the smallest boy is weaker than the rest. Not unusual for a runt, though."  
  
"That isn't very nice." Vision protested, a protective hand resting on top of the blanket-covered smallest male. Wanda smiled at him. "It's not meant as an insult." She explained. "It's the term for a puppy smaller than its siblings, often because they didn't have the most favourable spot inside the womb, or they weren't strong enough to nurse enough from the mother. Now, we need to boil some water for these guys. Do you have gas or electric stove?"  
  
"Gas. Why do you ask?"  
  
Wanda nodded towards the nearest window. Vision had been so preoccupied with her and the pups that he hadn't noticed the encroaching darkness set in - since it was only mid-afternoon, he figured the snowstorm had well and truly hit.           
   
"If you loose power we'll still be able to heat water." She located a large saucepan which she filled at the sink, turning on the stove with a few clicks of the correct dial. Seeing her at such ease in his kitchen gave Vision a sudden, sharp, and totally unexpected pang. He hovered near the puppies while she mixed up a formula from powered milk from a can, trying to sort out the jumble of his emotions.  
  
"Okay, we're ready for the first one." Confirmed Wanda, coming to sit down by him again and passing him the female puppy. "Why don't you hold her, and I'll see if I can get her to feed."  
  
He felt huge and clumsy holding such a tiny life in both hands. He was blown away by Wanda's expert gentleness in coaxing the puppy to take the bottle offered to her. Wanda shot him a triumphant smile when the bottle was half-empty. "Success." She declared, dipping a clean towel she'd brought into the remaining, now warm water in the saucepan and cleaning the puppy's rear end with it. "The mother would usually clean them, but that falls to us now since we're all these little guys have."  
  
The use of the word us then we bloomed warmth inside Vision's heart. He followed Wanda's instructions holding the next two puppies while she fed them, and finally she picked up the runt and offered him the bottle. "Here, you try with this guy."  
  
It took longer than the other three had for the runt to pick up the knack of feeding from the bottle, but Vision beamed when he began to feed. He was concerned that the runt only managed a quarter instead of half the bottle.  
  
"It's okay." Wanda reassured him. "He's a little weaker than his siblings. We will have to feed him little and often. They should sleep now, and when they wake up we can try again."  
  
Vision rocked back on his heels, looking down at the row of puppies, nestled on top of the heat pad and under the blanket. Concerned at how tiny and vulnerable they were even after the victory of feeding them, he pulled one of the rugs off the back of the couch and draped it over the family. "What shall happen to them?"  
  
Wanda sighed and leaned back against the couch. "I've been thinking about that myself. I only have three foster carers who can take pups this age, since they require round the clock care. One of them is away, and the other two are maxed out with fosters right now. Usually, that falls to me, but I've already got two sick puppies at my place, and it's not big enough to keep them quarantined. Since they haven't had their shots and I don't know how much of their mother's milk they originally drank, which is what kickstarts their immune systems, they're almost guaranteed to get sick as well if I take them."        
  
Vision pictured his tiny family coughing and wheezing for air and his throat tightened. He rested his hand back on top of the blankets, then realized Wanda had a hopeful look focused on him.  
  
For a gaze that pleading, Vision decided he would have moved the entire mountainside, learned to fly, and taken up being a professional rodeo clown. All in the same day if necessary.  
  
"Are you in a position to keep them for a while?" She implored, resting her hand on his wrist and stealing his heart completely. "At least until I can clear some space with my regular carers?"  
  
"I can keep them." Vision affirmed. "I work from home and set my own hours, so it won't be a problem. Maybe I was meant to find them."  
  
She flashed him a grin so dazzling he knew instantly he'd never remove the image from the forefront of his memory. He wanted to see that grin every day for the remainder of his days, powerless under her radiance.  
  
"You're the best. So what is it you do?" She regarded him curiously.  
  
"I'm a software programmer. Not very exciting, I know." He dropped his eyes, feeling oddly shy under her gaze. He chalked it up to having lived as more or less as a recluse since leaving Stark technologies and forging his own path. He'd completely blanked on social cues utilized by normal people.  
  
"To somebody who isn't at all technically inclined - I struggle with a smartphone most days - it's impressive." She was smiling at him again, toned down from a thousand to perhaps a hundred megawatts. It still made his insides linedance. "Do you run the shelter full time?" He manged to get the question to come out relatively normal sounding.  
  
"Full time, after hours, weekends and holidays." Laughed Wanda. "My father left me the property, and enough money I felt guilty not at least attempting to do something worthwhile with it. When I decided to move here, it just felt right. Like what I was doing really mattered."  
  
"Where are you from originally, if you don't mind my asking?"  
  
"Not at all. Sokovia. My twin and I went to boarding school and university there, so we never lost the accent. How about you, how long have you been in Colordo?"  
  
"Nine years." And six moths, four days, but it seemed ridiculous to betray how specific his memory was sometimes, considering that he frequently forgot meals and had once gone into town wearing odd socks with no shoes. "I was born in Surrey."  
  
"Your accent is nice." Wanda rested an arm along the couch she still leaned upon. He blinked at her owlishly, trying to come up with a response for that, and was glad when one of the puppies cried out in sleep and gave him an excuse to check on them.  
  
Once assured they were fine, he got up and flicked some lights on. It was only four in the afternoon, but the oppressive stormclouds had darkened the day considerably. Wanda joined him when he reached the kitchen, and showed him how to mix the puppies' food to the correct consistency and heat. He hadn't noticed how short she was in comparison to him, and he felt huge and clumsy towering over her by a head.  By the time the food was ready the pups were waking up, and they sat back down to feed them a second meal.  
  
Vision had just set the runt back on the heat pad with his siblings, fed and cleaned, when there was a muffled bang and the lights all blacked out, leaving just the fire lighting the room. With a muffled squeak of alarm Wanda jumped, crowding into Vision's side, her shoulder not quite reaching his, the bare skin of her arm against his sending shockwaves down to his fingertips. He fought a ridiculously strong protective urge to put his arm around her and pull her into his embrace. They'd only known each other a matter of hours, what on earth was _wrong_ with him?  
  
"Sorry." Wanda apologized with a small self-depreciating chuckle, recovering herself and sliding an inch or two away - not as far as they'd previously been sitting though. "Caught me by surprise. I swear I'm not one of those girls afraid of the dark and mice and bugs and all that."  
  
"Good. I can't abide by earwigs myself, it's nice to have somebody around who can deal with that situation if it arises." He joked, and smiled at the sound of her laugh.      
  
He reluctantly got to his feet and trailed around the room, pulling candles out of drawers and lighting them with a box of matches from the mantle over the fireplace. If it were possible, Wanda Maximoff was even more beautiful by candlelight.  
  
"I guess I'd better get going before the roads are impassible." He felt his heart stutter at the words, then realized it might not be possible. "I fear the storm may already be too severe."  
  
"Really? Geeze, I should have paid more attention to the weather." Wanda scolded herself as she climbed to her feet. She pried open the door and exclaimed in dismay to find her car - and the entire driveway - had vanished under a white blanket, shadows crowding in ominously on the rectangle of light spilling from the doorway. Vision took one look over her shoulder, firmly locked his fingers around her wrist to draw her back inside, and closed the door. "You are not driving anywhere in that." He stated with complete finality.  
  
She cursed under her breath, dashing his spirit completely, but it turned out being stuck with him was the opposite of her concern. "This is all you need. Four unwanted houseguests already, now you're lumped with another one. I swear, you won't have to feed me. I'll even cook something for you if your couch is available for crashing?"  
  
Did she really think he was about to turn her out in the snow? "Oh, I daresay I'll manage. It'll be good to have you here actually. I'm still not entirely sure what I'm doing with-" He stopped and a look of panic overtook his face. "The puppies! The heat mat isn't on - will they be warm enough?"  
  
"For now they'll be fine. I'll sleep with them in front of the fire and do the same as you did, share my body heat."  
  
Vision breathed a sigh of relief, then brightened. "Hot water bottles! I've got five or six. I'll get some water boiling and we can use those tonight as well."  
  
"Great idea. But I was serious about dinner, in return for letting me stay here, you have to let me cook."  
  
It tuned out Wanda was a veritable genius when it came to pasta. Vision couldn't even recall when he'd brought the pasta sauce she found in a cupboard, he was just relieved it was still within date.  
  
"What about your sick puppies at home? And the animals at the shelter?" Vision asked as they sat down to eat, having just finished a third round of puppy feeding.  
"My brother's girlfriend Crystal can handle the sick pups, she's been mother-henning them all week. The shelter would be a big problem, if my second in command, Sharon, hadn't insisted in giving me the long weekend off. Pietro, Crystal and I were going to spend it together, but they're used to me cancelling last minute because of animal-related emergencies."  
  
Vision deliberately looked down at his pasta. So she lived with her twin and his girlfriend, but that didn't guarantee anything. "What about your boyfriend? He won't worry, you being stuck here with a stranger? In a haunted house in the woods?"  
  
"Oh, I'm single." She replied breezily, taking a big bite of pasta. He quietly received the words with the same sort of glee most people would reserve for 'here's a check for a million big ones'. "Besides, I've hiked past this house plenty of times and never seen any sign of it being haunted, so I'll take my chances."  
  
"You hike past here?"  
   
"Yep, there's a great spot about three miles up. You never explored around here?"  
  
"I don't hike very much."  
  
"I can tell, pasty." She teased, elbowing him. "You need to get outside more. It's beautiful country out here."  
  
"I'm afraid like much of the English, I've two colours: this and beet-red if I venture into the sun. Believe me, you don't want to see the latter."  
  
He wondered if making Wanda laugh could be counted among life goals.  
  
They washed the dishes, fed the puppies again and boiled water for hot-water bottles. Wanda made a nest of sorts on the floor in front of the fire, Vision willingly handing over couch cushions and blankets. He sat down beside her to add logs to the fire, banking it carefully. Now that night had fallen and the storm showed no signs of abating, it was growing noticeably chilly.  
  
Wanda smiled at him from under a tent made of a thick quilt. She was wrapped in a blanket, looking completely adorable. Vision had fetched his spare towels to pile around the puppies and Wanda and pulled them all in close to her. "So, I keep forgetting to ask. How'd you end up with a nickname like Vision?"  
  
"Oh. My work. My real name is Victor Shade, and everyone says it doesn't suit me."  
  
She wrinkled her nose at him, adorable level skyrocketing. "They're right, it doesn't."  
  
"I started off working for a tech company, and Vision was the screen name I used on the network. Everyone always said I had vision, that I could see perfectly what a program was meant to do then write it to do exactly that. So they started calling me that, and since I never got out very much and socialized mostly with my workmates, pretty soon everyone knew me as Vision."  
  
"Vision suits you." Approved Wanda with a decisive nod, covering a yawn with her hand. "Thanks again for letting me crash here."  
  
"You did me a great favour, showing me the ropes with those little ones." Vision told her softly. "I ought to be thanking you."  
  
He got up to blow out the candles until just the glow of the fire remained. The eerie quiet of the falling snow blanketed the house as he sat down to feed the fire, marveling over how much could change in one day. 


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The storm has set in and the stakes are getting higher...

Vision's eyes flew open at the howl. It was an earthly, shrieking pitch that set his nerves instantly on edge. Beside him, a warm body stirred and anxious hands clutched at him. "Vision?" Whispered a worried voice, and he recognized it instantly.  
  
The voice belonged to Wanda Maximoff. Whom he was lying beside.  
  
In fact, Wanda Maximoff was probably lying more on top of him than the makeshift bed. Every muscle in Vision's body instantly overloaded into panic mode - for a split second, before realizing that as well as a beautiful woman there were also tiny, fragile puppies curled against him.  
  
"Vision?" Her voice was so close to his ear he could smell the mint of her breath, which made him realize he hadn't brushed his own teeth in over 35 hours and his breath probably smelled as if he'd been eating sour garlic and two-week-old blue cheese in his sleep.  
  
"Vision? Are you okay?" In the dim light of the fire he saw her leaning in to examine him, her face alarmingly close to his. He wondered if it looked like he was about to pass out, since that was what he felt like doing.  
  
Outside, the wind build into a frenzy, screeching like something was trying to rip the house apart around them.  
  
"Fine. Thank you. I'm sorry, I shouldn't have...I'll just.." Vision fumbled over words and blankets alike as he tried to carefully extract himself from the fireside pillow nest. "I wasn't trying to make any sort of- I don't often..."  
  
"Finish a sentence?" Suggested Wanda with a grin. Finally,  Vision thankfully extracted a puppy from his shirtfront. "I think he needs feeding." He evaded, and stood up, the puppy in the crook of his elbow as he headed for the stove.  
  
"Wow, listen to that." Wanda sat up and hugged her knees to her chest, movement around her feet indicating the retainer of the puppies were curled under the blanket there. The storm outside sounded truly impressive. "The poor wildlife out there, I hope they're holed up well. And I hope everybody has brought their pets inside."  
  
Vision was aghast at the thought of a domestic dog or cat being left out in this weather. "People do that?"  
  
"Last winter, a mother brought in a pair of dogs she'd 'rescued' from her son who didn't bother to bring them in during a snowstorm. The elder one died within the hour, and the younger one was on supportive therapy for a week before he recovered." Wanda took a deep breath and made an obvious effort to remove the fury from her voice. "I don't understand people sometimes, Vis, I really don't."  
  
Vision pondered on the nickname and the warm glow it set off, but he sensed the angry emotions still lurking under the surface, and brought the prepared bottle over to Wanda to distract her. They sat side by side and fed the small family, until the puppies were sleepy and content again.    
   
The two humans involved were both very much wide awake however, sitting within a close arm's reach of one another after passing puppy supplies back and forth. Vision felt like he was back in high school. He cleared his throat nervously. "You can take my bed, if you want to get some proper sleep." He offered, speaking a touch too quickly. "I'll take the next shift if you want." He nodded at the pups.    
  
"Oh, that's all right. I'll never get back to sleep with this noise." She waved a hand to indicate the storm and Vision became fascinated by the graceful twist of her fingers. He didn't think he'd ever been affected so strongly by a woman in all his life. Wanda looked straight into his eyes as if she could read his mind, and a gentle smile pulled her lips upwards. "Besides, I was comfortable earlier." She scooted closer to him, causing him to catch his breath when her arm aligned with his, and leaned her head on his shoulder.  
  
The good fortune shining down on him must have loosened his tongue because he found himself murmuring "Me too." as he tilted his head so his cheek was against her hair, his arm finding it's way around her shoulders as if on instinct. He drew her carefully against him as if waiting for her to exclaim the whole thing was one big joke, but she just snuggled more tightly into his side.  
  
There was nothing overly suggestive about the way she tucked herself against him, but his entire body responded to her so acutely he worried just how far he might have gone had they not had four innocent lives relying on them. But then, without the puppies on the side of the road, Wanda Maximoff would never have come into his life.  
  
"It's okay, Vis." Wanda's hand found his back, rubbing a soothing circle against the tension at the back of his neck, then smoothing down his spine. "I can tell you don't do this sort of thing often. Neither do I, since I traditionally trust animals a lot better than I do people... I just feel really comfortable with you. I don't think I've ever warmed up to anyone quite so quickly, actually."  
  
"Me either." Vision admitted, trying not to let his voice come out all high and squeaky. She kept running her hand over his back, and he found himself leaning into her touch, his muscles unknotting under her fingers. It was little wonder the animals she rescued responded well to her, with something so magic in her touch.  
  
"Do _you_ need some proper sleep?" She asked with a chuckle, one he had loosened up a little under the impromptu backrub. He shook his head once, emphatically. "I've never felt more awake in my life."  
  
She chuckled, a low, throaty sound. "I want to hear about working for Stark Industries. Why'd you stop and go freelance?"  
  
"I... Mr. Stark knew what I was capable of. Let us just say... we may have disagreed on a few moral choices, and at length I realized I was making myself miserable following orders I inherently disagreed with."  
  
"Aha, a man of principals." She observed with approval. He grinned shyly and steered the topic towards her, asking her about her twin and school in Sokovia. It seemed natural to stay so close as they spoke, heads close together so as to hear one another over the fierce screeching of the storm.  
  
Dawn broke with dull grey light. Wanda sighed and got up with some reluctance. They'd fed the puppies again, Vision feeling far more comfortable with the whole process by now - both with Wanda and the puppies.  
  
They investigated the storm situation - for about a minute, after Vision heaved on the door to open it and found his porch buried under waist-high snow. "No heading home for you this morning I'm afraid." He told Wanda, trying not to sound too delighted about it. The amused sideways glance she shot him told him he hadn't done the best job.  
  
"My shower's on a gas system too, so you can have a hot shower if you want while I make breakfast."  
  
" _And_ he cooks. What did you have in mind?"  
  
"I'm afraid my supplies are fairly basic, so I was thinking exactly two eggs with a splendid side of cereal?"  
  
She laughed, but the expression of longing that had flickered over her face at the words 'hot shower' still lingered. "Sounds perfect. You really don't mind if I borrow your shower?"  
  
"Not at all." He assured her, but her face fell. "I wasn't thinking I'd get stranded, so I only grabbed the stuff for the puppies and didn't think of a change of clothes."  
  
"Oh, I'm certain I can find you something of mine... wait here." Vision rummaged through his closets until Wanda called from the living room she was coming in after him if he didn't give up. "Don't worry about it if you can't find anything. I don't _have_ to have a shower."  
  
He finally settled on a t-shirt and an old set of sweatpants he'd kept for years and were now a touch too small for him and returned, offering them sheepishly. She beamed at him. "Thanks Vis!" She vanished into his bathroom while he set about preparing breakfast.  
  
"Hey, you wouldn't have a spare towel would you?" He cursed himself for forgetting and went to the narrow linen cupboard, one of his two eggs in his hand. He frowned to find the towel shelf empty. "Oh- I piled all my spares around the pups last night." He called sheepishly, staring down at the egg he held and wondering if Wanda thought he was the biggest idiot in the world.  
   
"Oh that's okay. You don't mind if I use yours do you?"     
  
The egg slipped out of his grasp and cracked open on the wooden floor. Vision stared down at it, thinking that Wanda Maximoff was _not_ like other women he'd met.  
  
"No. Go ahead." He called back, hoping his voice sounded normal and hastening to clean the egg up before she finished her shower.  
  
He managed not to do anything remarkably stupid as he cooked the remaining egg and set the table. Wanda emerged pink-skinned from an obviously scalding shower, smelling like his shampoo and adorable in his oversized shirt and sweatpants, her own jacket thrown over the top. If he hadn't already lost his heart in the last sixteen hours, he did so at that point.  
  
"I can't have the only egg. I thought you said you had two, why aren't you eating one?" She protested when he slid the offering over to her place setting.  
  
"I dropped the other." He confessed, making her grin. "Well, we'll just have to split this one." She told him decisively, cutting the egg more or less in two. "What if this storm lasts a week and we have to ration? Don't you go thinking I'm one of those damsel in distress, women first on the lifeboat types."  
  
"I can assure you, I thought nothing of the kind." Vision accepted his half. Wanda poured milk and, he noted with amusement, four spoonfuls of sugar on her cereal before she started eating it.  
  
He wanted to know every detail about this woman. He just didn't know how to put that longing into words without making a complete and utter fool of himself.  
  
The next puppy feeding, the runt only took a few mouthfuls. Vision was overcome with anxiety, and even Wanda's eyebrows drew closer together with worry. "Don't fret." She assured him, reaching for her box of puppy supplies. "Let me take his temperature - sorry, little man."  
  
He expression didn't change though once she had the results. "A degree low, but that could be because we had him out to feed him. Let's warm him up." Vision prepared a fresh hot-water bottle, wrapped it in one of the towels and watched Wanda cuddle the runt under her chin until he brought it over. They placed him in the middle with his siblings piled around him.  
  
"Can we do anything else?"  
  
"Just keep a close eye on him." Wanda stretched out on the pile of couch cushions and pillows, and Vision settled beside her. They spoke less this time, mutual worry over their tiny patient prevailing.  
  
Wanda was even more worried next time they checked on him. Vision thought he saw a leg twitch in a spasm unlike the usual paddle-like motion. "Did you see that?" As they both watched closely, his entire body jerked.  
  
"Muscle spasms - hypoglycemia." Wanda told him grimly. "It can get serious quickly, and there's no way of getting him to the vet. Do you have any corn syrup?"  
  
Vision didn't even know what that was and shook his head, fingers clenching helplessly.  
  
"Honey?"  
  
"Yes, I think I have honey." Vision almost wrenched the door off the cabinet he kept condiments in and swept jars and containers around frantically until he located a squeeze-bottle of honey. Wanda placed a drop on the runt's tongue. Vision hovered, noting how little the runt was moving. Wanda applied another drop of honey, then buried the pup back among his brothers and sister and covered them.  
  
"Do you think he'll be okay?" He asked. Her green eyes appeared huge as she looked up at him. "I wish we could get him to a vet." She murmured. He paced for a few minutes, then folded himself into a cross-legged position at her side. "What causes it?"  
  
"It's basically low blood sugar, so it could be he's not digesting his food properly, and he's just so small it's affecting him so rapidly... but it can sometimes be an indicator of a more serious problem. His liver might not be working properly, or he could have a disease." She blinked back tears and rapidly swiped a hand under her eyes. "It's common in pups separated too early from their mother. Remember how I told you all their immunity comes from her? If they didn't feed from her for 24 hours..." She shook her head angrily, and trailed off.  
  
He wouldn't eat at the next feed. Wanda put more honey on his tongue. The feed after that her face was drawn and worried. Vision had to hold himself back from checking on the runt every ten minutes. He held out a hand to Wanda and she clutched it tightly.  
  
He was still hanging in there when the light began to fade in the mid-afternoon. Vision re-lit candles and refiled hot-water bottles. He thought about suggesting another meal since neither of them had eaten since breakfast, but with the runt still refusing food and Wanda barely able to get a few drops of water into him, his own appetite was nonexistent.  
  
Wanda dozed after darkness had fallen. Vision sat with his head on his arms, propped in turn on his knees and watched over her and the pups alike. At the next feed he uncovered the pups, anxiously set the female aside and reached for the runt first.  
  
"Oh no. _No_!" He exclamation of horror awoke Wanda, who jerked upright. Vision's hands shook as he held the youngest puppy and gave Wanda a pleading look.  
  
She leaned over him, tears starting to track down her face. Vision knew she'd confirm it when he felt her hands over his. "He's gone. He's gone. It's okay Vis, you tried, you didn't do anything wrong. Let him go, okay?"  
  
But Vision couldn't. He hunched himself up over the still little body and, for the first time that he could remember in years, he cried, and he let Wanda pull him into a hug and felt her tears soaking his shoulder.  
  
At length they had to stir to feed the three remaining puppies. Wanda was clearly exhausted and Vision insisted that she slept afterwards, and she in turn insisted on staying with the puppies instead of taking his bed.  
  
Vision couldn't sleep. He sterilized all the puppy's feeding equipment three times, tidied non-existent messes, and then came to sit by sleeping Wanda, all three pups held against her chest. He pulled the blanket over them back for a moment and touched his hand down over all three puppies, his fingertips just brushing Wanda's where she cradled the youngsters.            
  
"It'll be okay now." He told them softly. "I won't let anything else happen to you. I promise."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ...Yeah, I'm a monster. You guys can all hate me now.


	4. Chapter 4

The storm broke early the next morning. Though his breath still steamed in the frozen air, Vision went outside at first light and shoveled snow away from the porch and part of the driveway, though it was plain Wanda would remain stranded for at least the morning. When he was done, he staked out a spot barely recognizable under all the snow and dug deep with his shovel.  
  
He'd planned to utilize the hole he'd dug to use when the temperature warmed again - maybe plant a tree. Now it had a use again. Wanda met him at the door, eyes red-rimmed. She held a tiny armful wrapped in a towel and a blanket. "I've fed the others." She handed over the runt with great gentleness, and followed Vision as he headed over to lay the young life cut short to rest.  
  
Neither of them said anything, but Wanda reached for his hand and threaded her gloved fingers between his, and together they stood for some minutes until Vision caught Wanda shivering and guided her back inside. He managed to locate a potplant still full of earth though the plant had long since wilted to fill the grave, finishing by laying a cairn of rocks over the top.  
  
Wanda had prepared a bowl of cereal for him inside, but he couldn't bring himself to eat more than a few bites.  
  
"Does it ever get easier?" He asked heavily after the next feeding. He had the two brothers napping in his lap, and Wanda was cuddling the female. She looked up at him, green eyes serious. "Some animals are special. You never forget them. But others come along, others who need your heart more than you do, and they help it heal."  
  
"I feel like I let him down."  
  
"Vision, you gave him, gave all of them, a shot at life. Without you they all would have starved. They would have died crying, lost, calling for their mother. Our boy... he died warm and loved. He deserved that. Some dogs... if they know its their time, they give up. I've seen it happen. I've seen chronically ill pets determined to live keep fighting, and sometimes they fight so hard they pull through. But sometimes they can't fight, and they seem to understand on some level that isn't what life should be about. There isn't anything you can do to convince an animal who's given up they want to live."    
  
When Vision had no response to that, Wanda scooted closer and set her shoulder against his. "Don't look so lost, Vis." She kissed his shoulder comfortingly. "I'm still going to help you, you know. Even after the snow clears, you won't get rid of me."  
  
"You'll come and visit?"  
  
"Every day, if you want me."  
  
He took a deep breath, and looked anywhere but into her bight emerald eyes. "I do."  
  
She did come out every day. She offered advice when Vision constructed a huge, low-walled pen across half his living room, pushing the couch and the armchair aside to make room. She cooed over the puppies as they began to paddle their way around the floor on their bellies, growing bigger and stronger by the day. She marveled over their eyes opening. She laughed with Vision when they started to walk, just shaky crawl-steps at first then tottering zigzag hops, tumbling over one another and their own paws. She brought puppy toys and a stretch of fake grass to toilet-train them (that went well...) and fresh baked goods for the two humans involved to eat from the bakery on main street.  
  
Vision couldn't remember laughing so much in his life. It was a true delight to watch the puppies' development, but spending so much time with Wanda brought him equal amounts of joy. Somedays when she was busy at the shelter she didn't get to his house until dusk and they ate dinner together, talking long into the night, Wanda often crashed on his couch, much to his distress (he wanted her to take his bed and let him have the couch, but she refused on the grounds he was two feet taller than the couch was long).  
  
When the puppies were three weeks old and could go longer stretches between feeding, Vision started going into town help Wanda at the shelter. He was a tireless volunteer, scrubbing pens and walking the most rambunctious of dogs and sorting donations and holding down cats at worming-pill time. He met Pietro and Crystal, impulsive and crazy but impossible not to like, and Maria, the shelter's second in command, efficient as a military general. After three days he was invited to dinner at Maria's house, and there he met her wry, constantly joking husband Sam, who hounded Pietro ruthlessly at every conceivable opportunity. Surrounded by steaming food and the pleasant buzz of teasing chatter, Vision wondered how he'd gone so long without all of this.  
  
He excused himself early when it was time for the pup's next feed and offered to drop Wanda home on the way. Unsurprisingly, she opted instead to come home with him and help.  
  
"They're getting so big now." Wanda stretched out on the floor, playing with the two very sleepy brothers. Vision set their freshly fed and cleaned sister down, and she began to wiggle-dance her way around Wanda, mock-growling and tottering around making little pounces as her second-favourite human.  
  
"I know." Vision settled beside Wanda. "What breed do you think they are?"     
  
Wanda held up a napping brother. "They have husky blood, I can see that. They're not purebreds though - german shepherd? Border collie? Hard to tell what the cross is. We could DNA test." She looked sideways at him. "Are you thinking about keeping one?"  
  
He wasn't surprised she'd guessed - despite her claim to prefer animal over people, she read others well, and he was no exception to that rule.  
  
"Wanda, you've helped me realize something these past few weeks. I've been isolating myself up here - I just didn't realize it at the time. You and the pups reminded me that there's a lot more out there than just work."    
  
"The real question is what led up to this? You said the other night you've been living here for four years. Were you on your own the whole time?"  
  
Vision looked into Wanda's earnest, questioning green gaze and took a deep breath. "Yes. Part of the reason I moved up here... well, it wasn't just about disagreeing with Mr. Stark. I was, well, seeing somebody. I thought it was going wonderfully, and I was collecting my courage in preparation to ask her to move in with me. When I went to visit her the day I left Stark Industries... I found her in bed with one of my coworkers."  
  
"Slut." Wanda grinned at his shocked expression, which quickly morphed into surprised laughter. He shook his head ruefully. "Where were you when I caught them together? I'm fairly certain I was speechless for most of that week."  
  
"Look, seriously Vis. She was a total bitch to cheat, and she was a total idiot to cheat on _you_ , okay?" Wanda told him firmly. "You're _far_ better off without her."  
  
"Maybe you're right. For a long time I didn't feel like I belonged anywhere, but I believe I understand now. I was missing interactions." Vision gently ran his fingertips over the face of the fluffy female puppy who'd collapsed on his foot. "This place needed to feel like a home, and it does now. I know it's a big commitment, but I have been considering keeping one of them."  
  
"Well, you've got a couple more weeks to think about it. But I'm glad you're in a better mindset, as well, and for what it's worth I think you'd make a great pet owner. I don't like to think of you stuck in this place on your own. And Maria, Sam, Pietro and Crystal all really liked you, by the way."  
  
"Really?"      
  
"Really. I mean, Pietro's certain we're dating and wants to interrogate you, but Crystal and I will keep him reined in." Wanda grinned at him and he chuckled softly, pleased at the feeling of being included into the circle of friends and family.  
  
"Names come next." Wanda informed him as she gracefully wrapped a scarf around her neck. It was no longer snowing, but it still lay thick on the ground and chilled the air. Vision was always sorry to see her leave. Since he was driving her home he could prolong the goodbye a little longer. They placed three sleepy puppies in a carefully towel-lined box and took them for a car ride. Wanda leaned over to kiss them goodnight while Vision went to open the door for her. Though she had grown used to his gentlemanly behavior over the past weeks she still smiled up at him when he did so.  
  
"Thank you for keeping me company." Vision felt a little lost for words as they approached her front door. Wanda stood on the single step in front of her door and turned to face him, making Vision very, very aware she was notably closer to his face than her usual stature permitted.  
  
"Thank you for trusting me with everything." Wanda replied softly, and before Vision could overthink the moment she stood on her tiptoes and kissed him on the cheek.  
  
Even after he'd said goodnight and she'd departed indoors with a final smile, he still felt the impression of her lips against his skin, and frequently as he drove home he did so with one hand on the wheel, the other brushing the spot on his cheek she'd kissed him.   

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Watched CACW with my mum and brother this week at family dinner. When Vision appeared onscreen with his "A pinch of paprika... a pinch" line, in unison they both went 'uh-oh' :P  
> Also my mum thought Bucky was buying blueberries. *facepalm* "Those are PLUMS, Mum."


	5. Chapter 5

"Wanda?" Vision called early the next morning. He'd brought the puppies in to Wanda's shelter for a vet appointment, since he was making a call on a few of the pets scheduled to go up for adoption in the coming days. He set the puppy box down on the table in reception, littered with magazines and a faded tennis ball.   
  
"Good morning." Called back a voice that was distinctly separate from Wanda's, although Vision often heard her inflecions in it. He went to the spacious aviary built against the length of one wall. Branches and flowers in various stages of destruction were scattered about, and it took him a moment to spot a bright, straw-coloured eye peering at him from behind a toy made of pinecones strung together.    
  
"Hello Flynn." Vision greeted the cage's inhabitant, an African grey parrot. When Wanda took in Flynn, he'd been malnourished and had plucked most of his feathers out. Now on a healthy diet of fresh fruit and special pellets, with plenty to keep him occupied, his plumage had grown back and he was a healthy, clown of of a parrot.   
  
"Good morning. Wan-da! Captain Jack Sparrow, captain. Live long and prosper." Announced Flynn solemnly, using his beak and feet alike to climb over to the wire closest to Vision. "Hakuna Matata. Wan-da! Scratch please. Stop barking, no biting, bad dog!"   
  
"Is that so." Vision chuckled, reaching a finger through the wire to lightly stroke Flynn's beak. The parrot had warmed up to Wanda's newest and most frequent volunteer very rapidly. Flynn purred exactly like a cat, then lifted a foot. "Playtime?" He asked, one of the words he often used in context. Vision unlatched his door. "All right, come over here."   
  
Flynn climbed sideways then stepped eagerly onto Vision's hand. "Scratch?" He asked hopefully. Vision smiled. "What's the magic word?"   
  
"Bootylicious-scratch."   
  
"I don't think so. What's the other magic word?"    
  
"Scratch please."   
   
He chuckled and obliged, running his fingers over the soft grey head. "Let's go find Wanda." He suggested, and Flynn purred again. "Wanda. Scratch please, Wanda, the cold never bothered me anyway." Vision held his hand at shoulder level and Flynn hopped on readily, turning his head to nibble at the lobe of Vision's ear and murmuring nonsense as he carted the box of puppies into the shelter building.   
  
He followed the noise of barking dogs into the kennel and found Wanda cleaning, a scruffy terrier and an older labrdor-boxer cross dashing over to Vision to greet him. He knelt, mindful of his pups and Flynn, the latter whom liked to terrorize the resident dogs when given the chance. "Good morning boys." He scratched chins and necks, straightening up before Flynn could launch himself at the two dogs with one of his warcries, then stepped over to Wanda. "Good morning Wanda." He tried not to concentrate on the way his heart skipped in his chest at the sight of her, adorable with a pawprint on her jacket and her hair ruffled from working.   
  
It took all his courage, but he mustered his bravery and leaned down to greet her with a kiss on the cheek - he internally rejoiced when her welcoming smile grew even wider. "Good morning indeed." Her eyes sparkled at him and he felt like he was back in high school. "Hi kiddos!" He offered her the puppy box and relieved her of a heavy bucket of dirty water in return, carrying it to the sink to empty while she greeted the pups.   
  
"You guys are getting so big now." Crooned Wanda, and eager yips answered the familiarity of her voice. "I'll go put them in the eval room. It's been cleaned, so they won't catch anything. Actually it might be a good time to introduce them to some of the other dogs and get them socializing, what do you think?"   
  
"I read that it's especially important for puppies who loose their mothers, is that right?"   
  
"Right, and we can introduce them to a cat or two and a wider range of people as well. They'll love it. Come on little ones." She took them into a room next door, while Vision backtracked into reception and went behind the desk, unmanned as yet since they weren't technically open. "Playtime, Flynn?" He asked the African Grey, who stepped off his shoulder and onto the elaborate play-tree made of natural branches he spent most of the day upon. He was a hit with visitors to the shelter, eagerly chatting up a storm of all his favourite phrases, and when it was quiet he busied himself with the toys scattered about the stand. Vision opened the small staff refrigerator and took out a hunk of corn cob and some grapes. He offered both to the parrot, who delicately selected the corn, picked up the chunk in one foot, balanced on the other, and started eating. Vision poured the grapes into a metal food bowl and turned to find Wanda leaning against the doorframe, smiling as she watched him.   
  
"You settled in so fast here. All the animals love you." Observed Wanda, grinning when Vision flushed. "It's nice, to help out." He admitted, lifting his gaze to Wanda's, and wondering why he could never seem to come up with anything meaningful to say when he was looking into her eyes. "So, what do you need help with?"   
  
"I just have a few more kennels to do if you're interested." They spent the next half hour chatting in the kennel room, pausing in their scrubbing to throw a tennis ball for the eager terrier. Amusingly, though he was nowhere near as fast as his younger friend, the lab-boxer ambled after him and back again each time the terrier dashed after the prize.   
  
"These two would be good to meet the puppies." Wanda looked the two dogs - Buster and Rio - over with a critical eye. "Buster is playful but not overly rough for a terrier, and Rio is so placid no puppy antics will bother him. I'll just go and open up, and we'll bring them in to say hi."   
  
The puppies looked a little scared at first - especially of Rio's far greater size - but the female led her brothers over to Buster when the terrier wagged at them, and then she licked shyly at his muzzle, and he licked her whole face and she tumbled over her paws and landed on Buster who took that as an invitation to play. The brothers soon joined in, and even old Rio put out a gentle paw to join in the game when it rolled close to him.   
  
Vision couldn't help but laugh at their antics. The three pups were so ridiculously uncoordinated and Buster so delighted with his new friends, and when Wanda came to sit by him and they leaned companionably shoulder-to-shoulder and watched the games, he felt flooded with contentment.  
  
He wanted life to be full of moments just like this one.   
  
The vet visit went well, and he pronounced the trio fit and remarkably healthy after such a rough start to life. He scheduled a visit in to vaccinated the puppies at six weeks old, praised Vision's hard work, and went with Wanda to visit the shelter's other patients.   
  
After playtime and a feed left the pups in a sleepy pile, Vision went outside to shovel snow. He enjoyed physical work, since he hadn't been able to get to the gym in several days (Wanda teased him about exercising inside when he lived on one of the most beautiful mountainsides in the state) and continued until Wanda called his name.   
  
"Sam just called." She reported, though she had a look of faint anxiety to her expression Vision wondered if he was imagining. "He has an old friend from collage, he and his partner are thinking about adopting a puppy. Sam mentioned your litter, and they're keen to arrange a meet."   
  
Vision was silent for a moment. Though he though he was prepared, the thought of giving up any of his puppies after the level of care he'd put in to them... but it wasn't realistic to keep all three, though he had his heart set on one, he knew that much.   
  
"If it's a friend of Sam's, that would make him a good person." He said softly. Wanda's eyes glowed with pride as she looked at him, and she reached out to squeeze his hand. "You can meet them first. I'll make sure they're going to responsible homes." She promised.   
  
"I've been thinking about names." Vision was acutely aware as they turned to head inside, Wanda kept her hand inside his. He felt the distracting warmth even through his gloves. "Hmm?"   
  
"What do you think of Riley for the girl?"   
  
"I think that it suits her! What did you have in mind for the brothers?" Wanda led them into the puppy's room and sat by the box. They were still sleepy, curled around one another in their habitual pile.   
  
"I thought you might have an idea?" Vision looked shyly over at her and found her smiling widely, glad for his choice.  
  
"Hm. Have you noticed the black and tan one always seems to be getting in trouble and the bigger golden one always seems to follow him? Why don't we call them Loki and Thor?"   
  
"I like it." Decided Vision, pleased to have the names settled. He spent the entire day at the shelter, playing with Flynn when there were no customers, the puppies when they were awake, and helping Wanda. He stayed for dinner with her, leaving only reluctantly when he realized it was approaching midnight.   
  
The next morning his cell's ringtone awake him. The pups, beside his bed, started to whine then yip when they realized he was awake. The side of the box caved in when all three of them jumped against it and with delighted snuffling noises they set out exploring his bedroom floor, Loki seizing a forgotten sock from under the bed and worrying it delightedly.   
  
"Hello?"   
  
"Good morning sleepyhead." The warm voice jolted Vision into full wakefulness.   
  
"Wanda - sorry, hold on-" Vision leaned over and scooped up Riley, who was investigating a power cable. "Stop that." He scolded. "Sorry Wanda. I may have let the puppies sleep beside the bed after last night's feed, turns out that was a mistake. Thor, come away from - sorry, one moment." He put the phone down and shepherded the puppies back into the living room. He needed to build a pen, he decided, something that could safely contain them when he was asleep or out.   
  
"Wanda, are you still there?"  
  
"Of course. Sorry to call so early, but I just heard from Sam's old friend and he's eager to meet the puppies and see if he and his partner hit it off with any of them."   
  
"Sure. Today?"   
  
"If that's okay. Do you want to bring them in to the shelter again?"   
  
"Sounds great." Vision's heart warmed at the thought of spending more time with Wanda. "I have some work to get done this morning. Midday?"   
  
"I'll shout you lunch from Moanna's bakery. Oh Flynn, what are y- I have to go Vis, see you later!" He caught an avian cackle before she hung up, grinned, and grabbed a change of clothes to prepare for the day.   
  
Sam's old friend was almost as tall as Vision himself, solid and confident and polite. Vision liked him immediately, though his partner Bucky was much harder to read as he stood off the the side, hands jammed in his coat pockets. It was only when he shed the garment that Vision caught sight of the gleam of a prosthetic hand. The strict attention of his stance and the watchfulness in his dark blue eyes made Vision think he was a solider who'd been injured, but there was an undeniable softness in the lines of his face when he looked at Steve, and that was what allowed Vision to begin to trust him.   
  
That, and his reaction when he met the puppies. Riley, Loki and Thor dashed right over to the new humans, and seeming to forget about the others seeing his arm, Bucky dropped down on their level and let them climb all over him. Steve seemed to hit it off with Thor, but Loki's antics had them both laughing. Riley wandered over to Vision and collapsed into his lap, bringing forth a smile from him.   
  
"Look at how close they are." Marveled Steve, as Thor followed Loki's example and investigated a rope chew toy they both started dragging around, not coordinated enough to actually lift if off the ground. He looked over at Vision. "We'd already decided we wanted a boy, even if Riley is super cute."   
  
Privately, Vision agreed. Riley had the distinctive grey facial marking of a husky against her cream fur, and now the indistinct blue of most puppy's eyes was giving way to the adult colouration, it appeared she would have one ice blue eye and one mixed blue-and-brown hetrochromic eye. Loki had thrown back to the classic german shepherd colouring, tan with a black saddle and muzzle, though he like his brother retained the husky blue eyes. Thor, bigger and burlier than Loki's lean frame, was golden and white.   
  
"Steve." Bucky's voice was serious as he turned towards his partner. "They're brothers. I don't think we should separate them."   
  
Vision felt his heart skip oddly - keeping two of the pups together wasn't something he'd considred, but it made him feel better to think of them staying together. Besides - he liked Steve and Bucky. Not that his track record for judging other people's characters had proved all that fantastic, but that didn't mean he was ready to give up altogether.   
  
"Wanda says having two littermates is a lot of work." He cautioned the two men. "It makes them harder to train and takes more time and effort."   
  
"That sounds exactly like what we need right now." Steve admitted with a smile. Loki made a little pounce and wound up in his lap, and Steve ruffled his ears. Thor sat down beside Bucky, his tongue hanging out, looking pleased with himself. Bucky gave a little nod of agreement, looking between the two pups. His expression seemed a touch less impassive as he murmured "Besides, after what they've been through, they deserve to stay together."   
  
"Then I'd be happy if you would adopt them." Vision watched Steve burst into a big beaming smile, and was a little surprised when stoic Bucky's lips curved upwards as well.   
  
Wanda handled the paperwork that afternoon, and Vision watched with Flynn on his shoulder as she explained the shelter would microchip, vaccinate and desex the puppies before they were adopted out. Steve and Bucky went a little crazy buying beds, toys, treats, collars, leads and engraved name tags from the small store in the reception area, but it reinforced Vision's instincts that they would provide a good home.   
  
He scribbled his name, phone, email and address down for Steve and Bucky ("Your full name is Victor Shade? That doesn't suit you at all") and told them to come visit anytime until the pups were ready to take home.   
  
When night fell, oppressive clouds threatening yet more more snow blocking view of the sunset, Vision helped Wanda go through the shelter's closing routine, the routine second nature now. He brought in the sturdy sign proclaiming puppies and kittens for adoption from out the front, convinced a sleepy Flynn to step-up then return to his aviary for the evening, and swept and mopped the viewing room, hallway, and the kennel floor, the sharp minty scent of the disinfectant familiar after helping Wanda several times.    
  
"What would I do without you?" Wanda approached as he washed his hands in the tiny staff room. Vision offered a shy smile that quickly turned into severely red cheeks when Wanda reached for his hand. Her fingers were soft but sure grasping his own, and he longed to be the type of person eloquent with words, always able to find the right thing to say in any situation.   
  
He suspected though, that he'd never be able to put his feelings for this woman into words. Maybe nobody ever could.   
  
"You did well today. I think you made a great choice."   
  
"You did all the work." Protested Vision, desperately grasping for something a bit more romantic than that. Wanda picked up a folder while he was struggling to come up with any sort of meaningful words. "I have something for you." She handed him the folder, which he flicked open to see the same adoption paperwork he recognized from Steve and Bucky's visit.   
  
"It's for you and Riley." Wanda told him softly. "To make it all official. Take them home and read through, but I have a feeling she's chosen you as much as you have her."   
  
Deeply touched, Vision stared into Wanda's knowing green eyes for a long minute. Finally, he cleared his throat.  "Wanda, thank you. Do you... that is... would you like to come over for dinner?"   
  
Wanda's face brightened but fell almost immediately. "I wish I could, but I'm really behind on my paperwork, and Pietro is complaining I never spend time with him anymore - I'll make it up to you. Maria's opening tomorrow morning, how about I bring breakfast over?"   
  
"I'll be there." Vision nodded, trying to keep the level of eagerness he suspected showed on his face to a logical amount.   
  
Wanda laughed the low, throaty laugh he loved so much. She hadn't let go of his hand, and he felt her fingers tighten just perceptibly before she drew his arm towards her, creating a slight lean in his taller frame as she pulled him closer, stood on her tiptoes, slid her free hand behind his neck and pressed her lips against his.   
  
As first kisses went, it pretty much blew him away. Warmth shot through his body, radiating from every point of contact between them - her lips moving against his, her fingers caressing the nape of his neck, her other hand still gripping his like a lifeline - informing his nervous system that his sole purpose was to get even closer to her.  
  
That was exactly what he proceeded to do. He curled his free arm around her waist, fingers splayed against the small of her back, moving to meet her as he guided her towards him. His entire body all but sighed with relief at the feeling of her pressing against him, and when she let go of his hand only to run her fingers down his jawline and over his cheek he melted into her willingly.   
        
He couldn't have said how much time passed, only that he was breathless almost to the point of panting by the time they finally came up for air, and he was fairly certain the brilliant smile on Wanda's face was matched by his own.  
  
"You're making me want to rethink this dinner thing." Wanda told him with a look that filled him with mad impulses he didn't dare dwell on. "Mmhmm." Managed Vision in what he hoped wasn't as dazed a response as it sounded in his own ears. Wanda laughed and let him go with reluctance. "You'd better get those kids of yours home. I'll see you tomorrow morning."   
  
His entire body protested as hers disengaged from him. Without thinking, he bowed his head and caught Wanda with a short but sweet kiss. "Early tomorrow." He emphasized, and carried the memory of her beautiful smile all the way home and throughout the rest of the evening.   
  
The pups woke him at dawn, and they frolicked at his heels eagerly as he headed into the kitchen. Thor and Loki ran ahead, tripping over one another at the excited protest of breakfast, but Riley stopped just in front of him and whined anxiously. He looked down, bleary-eyed and blinking rapidly, then lifted his head and spotted what had upset her.   
  
His jaw worked soundlessly, not a single word escaping him, as his eyes met a very familiar dark brown pair.   
  
Standing in his living room, perfectly manicured and coiffed as he remembered, was his ex-girlfriend Amanda. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dun-dun-daaaa! 
> 
> ... I know, I couldn't resist with the puppy names.   
> I hope Stucky fans enjoyed this little tidbit of them here. I don't actually ship the pairing (have nothing against it and will actually read fics with them, I just don't personally see the need to make their admittedly powerful relationship into a romantic one) for canon MCU purposes, but this is an AU and I thought I'd treat their many fans since my main series doesn't feature them as a couple.


	6. Chapter 6

Vision stared at his ex across the living room, with the feeling of contentment he'd finally gotten his life on track  evaporating instantly. Amanda had always seemed to have that ability - when he'd been little more than a lowly intern working in a back room at Stark Industries, it had simply seemed the way of it that they went out with Amanda's friends, went out to the restaurants Amanda chose, did the things Amanda wanted to do. It had been Vision's first long term relationship, and he hadn't known any different.  
  
He didn't have that problem now. Now, his problem was of a different vein. He had to tell Amanda that she couldn't be here, that she had to leave right now - but his voice failed him completely and no sound emerged. Silent as a mime, he stared at her.      
  
"Victor." A chill wound its way through his insides. He wasn't Victor anymore, even if he couldn't seem to express that to her.  
  
"What are you doing here?" He finally forced out, his voice sounding nothing like his voice. How could she conceivably still have any sort of power over him?  
  
"Can't old friends pay a visit to your lovely little hideaway?" The way she put her head coyly on one side was so familiar. She'd used the same motion when she called him to bed, away from his work. At the memory his stomach flipped unpleasantly.  
  
Thor, curious about the new human, started a tail-wagging trek towards Amanda. Loki's ears - they were just starting to stand upright for a few minutes at a time - twitched. Then, to Vision's astonishment, he hurtled himself at his brother, soundless, without so much as a play-growl, his body stiff and focused, totally unlike when he usually played with his siblings. He pinned a surprised Thor down, then he looked up and _growled_.  
  
"Ooooh, aren't they just _darling_." cooed Amanda, not exactly cowed by Loki's threat. Vision however understood the intent was far more important than the result. Loki - who had only ever approached people with benevolent friendliness - had decided his well-meaning brother needed protecting from this particular human. Likewise, Riley remained hanging back by Vision, making no move towards Amanda, who was advancing on Loki and Thor. Vision saw a shark closing in on his kids.  
  
"Don't touch them." It came out almost as sharply as he wanted it too, thankfully, enough to startle Amanda into rising, a hand still outstretched.  
  
"Charming as ever. Is that any way to treat the love of your life?"  
  
_That isn't what you are. You never were_. In his mind it was so clear, but he tripped over the words, really getting alarmed now at the disappearance of verbal communication.  Alarm overtook him as she sashayed closer to him. He flinched when her red-painted nails touched his bare chest - he was wearing his pajama bottoms and nothing else, and her smirk told him she knew it.  
  
_Wrong woman_. _That is wholly and completely, the wrong woman._  
  
"Amanda." He closed his eyes. _Stop it. Get out. Leave right now_. She robbed him of every word before they could reach his lips. Sweat broke out along his brow, goosebumps across his arms - stress taking its toll on his body, traitorously refusing to throw the woman who'd broken his heart out of his house.  
  
"Vic, my dear. I came to apologize for what I did to you." There was a time, shortly after he'd made the discovery, after the anger faded and the pain set in - that he would have given anything to hear those words.    
  
But times changed... if only he could just tell her that.  
  
"Stop it." He croaked, stepping backwards so she was no longer touching him.  
  
"You can't really want to throw away what we had over one mistake, can you?" Her eyes narrowed as she looked at him, the way she once had when he was late getting ready to go out because he'd been engrossed in the vital stages of a program. "I want to try again, Victor. I want you to come back to L.A. with me. I want you."  
  
She boldly stepped after him, arms going around his waist to trap him as he went to recoil. "Don't try to pretend you don't want me, too. I can see it, you know I'm still the one. Come on, you remember how I used to make you feel."  
  
He would never bring himself to get aggressive with any women, even this one, instead going passive in her grip. Riley, behind him, barked once. Amanda pressed against his bare chest, exhaling softly against his neck. "Didn't you miss me?"  
  
"Let me go." He managed, but her closeness was affecting him even worse now, his body shutting down right along with his voicebox, so it seemed. Loki barked, then Riley, and finally Thor bounced to his feet and joined in his siblings. Vision cursed himself mentally, finally blurting out; "There's somebody else."  
  
This didn't dissuade Amanda, who'd always been relentless in getting what she wanted. "There could never be anybody that compared to me." She stated with complete surety, and kissed him.  
  
"Excuse _me_!"  
  
_Oh no._  
  
Vision knew who it was, of course. He knew that voice so well. The pups ceased barking at once. Wrenching himself out of Amanda's grip, he only made it three steps away before almost keeling over, bracing himself with his hands on his knees, seriously concerned he was about to throw up. He knew how this would look to Wanda, him shirtless with his chest heaving, Amanda's lipstick smudging his face.  
  
He was going to loose her. Amanda was going to cost him Wanda, and even when he looked up and read the cold fury on her face, _he still couldn't speak_.        
  
He didn't deserve Wanda. He couldn't even stand up to his ex girlfriend and tell her to politely get the fuck out of his life, stuck here in this nightmare with no words. He shot Wanda an imploring look.  
  
She looked back at him.  
  
Then her gaze - still furious - alighted upon Amanda. Slowly, the taller woman backed up a step as the balance of power in the room shifted.  
  
"I'll only give you this one warning. Get out." Snapped Wanda in a tone so dismissive she could have been equating Amanda to canine refuse.  
  
Amanda had the gall to laugh, though Vision heard the higher pitch of nerves in the sound. "You don't think I'm actually going to listen to _you_ , do you?" She asked in contempt.  
  
Wands reached her in two strides and threw a right hook - an actual punch, not a girly bitch-slap - that sent her sprawling on the floor. She proceeded to reach down and yank her back up again, dragging her very close. "It's a very big forest out there, and I swear to you if you ever come near my man again I'll bury your body in a place you've never heard of." She released Amanda, who, without a single glance at Vision, fled out the front door.  
  
Vision sat down heavily on the floor, seeing everything through a distant haze. The pups, though they must have been hungry, flooded around him with worried yips, nuzzling at his hands and feet in an effort to restore him to his usual self.  
  
Then Wanda entered his line of sight, gently pushing the puppies down when they jumped on her out of anxiety. "Vis. Stay with me here. It's okay now." There was no anger in her voice, just a soothing reassurance. His entire skin felt numbingly cold to the point of pain, his body distant and disconnected. How could Wanda even stand him, let alone have rescued him like that?  
  
"What can I do?" She was still right in front of him, her face close as she examined him with acute concern.  
  
"Don'tleave." the words tumbled over one another in their suddenness, but the strange pitch of them warned Vision he wasn't back to normal yet. He felt warm hands on either side of his neck, thumbs caressing his cheeks with great care.  
  
"I won't leave, it's okay, I'm _right here_. Vision, you're freezing cold." He felt her hands on his biceps, brushing over his chest, as if disconnected from his own body.  
  
"I let her touch me." Vision choked out, disgusted with himself. He wondered if he should be worried at the mechanical stiffness of his body and its continued refusal to do what he wanted it to. His skin was still ice and he couldn't feel his hands or feet, certainly not a positive sign.    
  
"She's gone now. She won't come back. Will a hot shower make you feel better? Come on, can you get up? That's right, come with me now."  
  
Wanda guided him into the bathroom and checked the temperature of the water, adjusting it a little hotter, before stripping Vision of his pants and gently pushing him under the steamy jets. A small part of his mind noted that her calm concern wasn't exactly the desired reaction to the first time seeing him naked, but as the water hit his skin and warred with the still-freezing sensation half paralyzing him, he winced and propped himself uselessly against the shower wall.     
  
Wanda vanished for a period of time that could have been two minutes or ten, but she returned and trained her eyes carefully on his face, standing just outside the shower. His skin seemed to be thawing out, his normal range of motion restored under the pleasantly scalding spray.      
  
"I let her walk all over me." He muttered at length, lifting both hands and staring at his palms. "I can't believe you stayed."  
  
She searched his face for a moment. "You needed me."  
  
"You knew." He whispered, relief filling him.  
  
Wanda nodded, surveyed him for a moment then, without any warning, she stepped into the shower fully clothed. That elicited a slightly more normal response. " _Wanda_!"  
  
 She wrapped her arms around him and pulled him close, the sensation of her body pressing against his relaying comfort. "I knew. I could see that, just like I see how you're feeling now. Vision, you were caught totally unprepared by somebody who used to mean a lot to you."  
  
"That's all over." It was suddenly a point he had to stress to her, though standing shellshocked and naked in the shower might not have been the best place to try to explain himself. "I don't want her back. You understand that?"  
  
She smiled, the flecks of water clinging to her lovely face momentarily mesmerizing him. "Yes, Vis. Yes." She placed her fingers against his neck, checking his pulse. "Are you feeling better? You're not white as a sheet any longer, at least. Do you need me to do anything else?"  
  
"Do I need you?" He clutched her like a lifeline, and although his nakedness and the way her wet clothes stuck to her skin easily could have tipped the balance into a rather more heated situation, it was devotion rather than passion that flowed between them at that moment. "Always. Always, Wanda."  
  
They held one another for a timeless period before Wanda kissed him chastely on the lips and left him to finish defrosting, unashamedly stripping her wet things off - even though her back was to him, he glimpsed enough of her curves to make him wish he hadn't just been mauled by his succubus of an ex.  
  
He still found her almost as attractive when the hot water finally quit on him and he emerged to find her in his sweatpants and t-shirt from their snowstorm stranding. Though another spike of desire reared its head at the sight, he still feel rather foolish after his narrow escape earlier. He settled on the floor beside Wanda - she was leaning in a familiar pose up against the back of his couch, Thor and Loki frisking around her and Riley sitting in her lap.  
  
"I meant it, you know. I do need you, Wanda - not just because you can rescue me from my nightmares, I just- oh, I've been thinking about how to say this for days and I'm still no closer. I've never felt like this before, Wanda." He confessed, hoping he didn't sound quite as idiotic as he felt. Wanda just smiled and took his hand.  
  
"Vision, I've never been happier since I met you. You are wonderful - sweet and selfless and honest and definitely the biggest nerd I know, but in a good way. It's actually kind of scary to admit this, but I need you as well. I can't imagine my future without you in it."  
  
"You won't ever have to." Vowed Vision softly, lowering his head for a kiss. As if she approved, Riley lifted her cream and silver head and licked their chins, looking pleased with herself when they both broke apart, laughing.  
  
Wanda stayed at his side through the last few weeks of his life with the puppies - through vet visits, play sessions with Steve and Bucky, and more dinners with Sam, Maria, Pietro and Crystal. Snow kept falling and Vision shoved his driveway clear each time, ready for Wanda to pull up.  
  
When Thor and Loki were ready to go to their new homes, she cleared her schedule so she could spend the day with him and Riley. "You did an amazing thing, Vis." She told him as they watched Steve and Bucky driving away. Vision knew he'd never forget the pair's smiles, any more than he would forget the two amazing little lives he'd spent the last two months with.  
  
"I couldn't have done it without you." He stated with certainty, pulling her towards him for a kiss. Things between them the past two weeks had settled into a rhythm so sweet Vision couldn't figure out what he'd done with his life before meeting her, even if Wanda had been taking things deliberately slow with him after the Amanda Fiasco. Now, the promise in her lips against his was something he stored away for that night, determined that this was going to be his turning point in life. A place he'd chosen for himself, a dog at his feet, and relationship that he treasured beyond any measure.  
  
"Come on, you sweet talker." Laughed Wanda when at length they broke apart, cheeks pink from the chilly wind. "Let's go inside, Riley might realize her brothers are gone and that security blanket she's had around her with it. Brrr! As soon as she's fully vaccinated and if this snow ever stops, I'm taking you both on my favouite hike." She grinned, and Vision met her expression with one of his own.  
  
They spent the afternoon playing with Riley, making sure she was too worn out to miss her brothers. When she collapsed on her dog bed in the evening, Vision found himself watching Wanda across the room as she tidied toys, stray shoes the pups had dragged here and there, and washed up at the kitchen sink.  
  
"Wanda." He came up behind her, reminded of the mood from earlier. She turned to meet him, hands still damp as she pressed then against his cheeks, pulling him in for a kiss, quickly cottoning on to his intentions and meeting them with her own.  
  
"You going to go all shy on me?" She smiled up at him, fingertips tracing the blush that had bloomed along his cheekbones. His skin sparked under her touch like it was electric.    
  
"Maybe. You've already seen me naked, though." He pointed out, matching her grin, dropping his head and pressing a slow kiss, then a second, to her neck. She sighed blissfully and tilted her head to accommodate him, hands roaming down his sides. When he pushed her gently but incessantly against the wall, she made an impatient noise he caught with his lips, then her fingers hooked into his belt and she all but dragged him into his bedroom (he didn't exactly go along unwillingly.)  
  
"Typical." Wanda huffed, eyes sparkling in amusement as she gave him a little shove onto the bed. She stripped off her jacket and shirt, stealing his breath in one great rush. "Weeks I've been waiting for this, and you want to take it slow, figures." She straddled him - and he thought he'd been breathless before - and pulled his own shirt off over his head efficiently, running appreciative hands over his bare chest.  
  
"Maybe you'll have to change my mind." Managed Vision, bracing his hands over her slender hipbones. She was so beautiful, so amazing, he had no idea if he'd get through this in one piece. But, as she kissed a trail down his chest, he found he didn't much care.  
  
"Wanda... I have to tell you something first." She propped herself up on her elbows, body still contacting his at several key points. Vision took a deep breath "I love you. I loved you from the first day you walked through my door, every one after that, and every one from now on."  
  
She broke out into one of those smiles that he didn't just see, but felt deep in his soul. "I love you too, Vision. I never thought I'd meet somebody who mattered to me as much as my job and my family, but now I know - I was just waiting for you."  
  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well there you have it, the end of this crazy fluff-filled fest. Thanks for all your support on this one guys, you know you all rock.
> 
> The idea for Wanda to punch Amanda was AnontheNullifier's idea so say thanks if you enjoyed that :) 
> 
> ..I think my favourite thing in this chapter aside from all the Scarlet Vision to snack on, is Loki interacting with his brother. If he could talk I think he'd be saying 'Thor you IDIOT, can't you smell that's an evil human? Get back!' 
> 
> Okay all, I'm on holidays and actually going away, so I doubt I'll have much time to update - but, my holiday does involve a certain amount of travel which means a certain amount of writing time, so, by the time I get home I might have a few things to make up for my absence :)

**Author's Note:**

> Okay so I've been toying with AU's for months and never came up with anything that I was a happy fit with. I read W. Bruce Cameron's 'A Dog for Christmas' today which this idea is very loosely based upon. Don't worry, you don't have to read it to comprehend this one by any means. There will be no superheros, superpowers or sci-fi in this Alternate Universe adventure, but I can promise ridiculously huge amounts of fluff, even by the standards you all are doubtless used to by now. As always, kudos and especially feedback are appreciated beyond measure. 
> 
> I'm also hopelessly working on five different Scarlet Vision projects simultaneously - I've had all these ideas hit now I own CACW and can watch it constantly. (And I do. Wow, I do). I'll be jumping back and forth updating one then the other, so don't worry if you see me post something new, sometimes I write a couple of different things in one big hit but don't have the energy to edit, my weakest point during the writing process. I do have every intention of finishing each SV project I begin, never fear. Am so excited to share the ideas I have with you guys and see what you make of them!


End file.
